Every now and then I discover that I’ve been using a word incorrectly. Being somewhat of a wordsmith, this is embarrassing, to say the least. Such is the case for the word expedient. I have been using this word for years, thinking that it meant speedily, or in good time. For some reason, there was [...]
HORRIFIC: terrible, dreadful
December 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
There is a whole range of words that describe a terrible event such as the one we are following in Newtown, Connecticut. But the one which surfaces most frequently, it would seem, is that of horrific. Horrific is a word that comes to the English language from Latin, meaning to bristle with fear. I’m afraid [...]
ALL RIGHT: just fine, okay
November 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
“During an Orlando Magic game against the visiting Knicks, cheerleader Jamie Woode fell on her head on the court while attempting a trick, and had to be taken to a local hospital. The incident caused a delay in the game, and although she had to be taken to a second hospital, word is that Woode [...]
OTIOSE [OH-shee-ohs]: unneeded, not useful
October 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment
“I’ve never heard the word before.” If you just said that, welcome to the crowd. Admittedly, even the experts say that it is obscure and irrelevant. Bryan Garner, one of the linguistic experts I consult, says: “You might say the word itself is otiose.” That’s a pretty shallow commendation for the word, which, Garner [...]
TROOP: a collective noun indicating a band of soldiers, scouts, or other gatherings of people
July 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment
When I was a kid I belonged to a Boy Scout troop. It was a sizable gathering of boys who were divided into smaller units called patrols. An individual who belonged to a troop was called a scout. State Police who are assigned to a specific segment of a state for service are called a [...]
SHALL: plan to, intend to
July 15, 2012 By 1 Comment
It’s not a new debate for linguists and other wordsmiths, but I suspect most ordinary people haven’t really thought about the use of the word shall. Those of us who were in public school a half century ago labored over the word, learning “rules” that determined when we should use the word shall and when [...]